British Columbia People & Culture

Another part of Canada that SUCKS. Hotels suck. Restaurants suck. Roads suck. People suck. Avoid it at all costs. Unless of course you're driving to Alaska and you can't avoid it, it's the only place with gas for maaaannnnyyyy miles.

Great city to visit and it reminded me a lot of Auckland with the harbour and ranges like the Waitakares. Great public transport with ferries and buses (some on cables) as well as a light rail system. Fantastic shopping (if you still have money when you get there). I would recommend going to the aquarium to see the beluga whales as well as many other sea creatures and the museum at the University has many treasures from the first nations as well as from Maori and Pacific people. Fantastic totem poles. Take a walk through Chinatown as it is worth it and stock up on souvenirs made by the first nation peoples of British Columbia.

I was in Kamloops, BC for a conference.........the hotel was pretty and the people were great. I met some new friends who took me shopping but then we found ourselves driving the wrong way down a one way street.......now my story is that I almost bit it in Kamloops, BC!! lol.......otherwise, the scenery is the some of the most beautiful that I've seen...........the plane ride through the Rockies to get to Kamloops? Not desirable at all............take a sickness bag with you.............keep it handy.............

The Puddle as it is commonly called by the locals, is a small central town in BC. Home of Rick Hansen and also the unofficial Pot Capital of BC, also is a place where beautiful log homes are produeced. The Overlander, known to most as the OV is the place to go for drinks and 2-steppin'. Beware of the traffic, espeacially along the south entrance highway, there are a many vehicles trying to cross the highway in hopes to grabbing a burger at McDonalds across the way. There have been numerous accidents at this "intersection" me being in one of them. 2 days before my wedding, I T-Boned a pick-up who was trying to do the aformentioned. He of course was completely at fault and the damage to my 7 month old SUV totaled to over $26,000. Luckily my only perosnal damage was seat rash on the shoudler and collarbone! So beware of the "crazy" young people drving theirs parents vehilces like they themselves owned them!

This city is fantastic, very clean, the people are so kind.

www.translink.bc.ca (bus information) http://vancouver.craigslist.com (free online classefieds: furniture, jobs, apartments, etc...) www.cfox.com (radio station- announces upcoming events online.) www.pollstar.com (city search: Vancouver for concert listings) There is a hostel on the corner of Homer and Pender downtown that only charges $10 per night for a dorm bed. Next door is Finches Tea and Coffee, which has the best baguettes you have ever tasted AND Fair Trade coffee. During the day the area is full of 9-5'ers but at night it is a bit dodgy. The majority of backpacker hostels congregate on Granville Street downtown (the clubbing area) and are about $25 per night. There is also one in Kitsilano but not exactly sure where. To get downtown from the Airport catch the public Airport Circle bus from outside arrivals which will take you to Airport Station Bay 2. There you transfer to the 98 B-Line Burrard Station bound. (Richmond is the opposite direction so you don't want take that one unless you are staying with friends in Richmond.)
Buses only take exact change. 1 Zone is $2.25 (Airport to Downtown is 2 Zones- I think $3.25, but if you are travelling after 6pm or it is a Saturday or Sunday than it is all 1 Zone.) If you are looking for work, a good place to start is Robson Street, downtown. All the shops are almost always hiring. Print a bunch of up to date resumes and hand them out at all the shops. Also try Pacific Centre Mall. (Enter via the Sears on Robson.) Granville Street, Commercial Drive, Denman Street, Park Royal Mall, Broadway, West 4th in Kitsilano, Lonsdale Avenue in North Van. (etc...) For office jobs, look in Newspapers and Online Classefieds. Favourite Restaurants: Rain City Grill, Denman Street: View of English Bay- very fancy- organic, locally produced gourmet food. Tanpopo, Denman Street: All you can eat Sushi. Lunch is $11, Dinner is $21, but they add fancier things to the menu like Salmon Tataki, and in between and afterwards they have happy hour specials. Havana, Commercial Drive: Cuban food, pitchers of Mojitos, amazing atmosphere. medium sort of price range. Rocky Mountain Flatbread Company, Cypress Street, Kitsilano: Best Pizza in Vancouver. Organic and Locally Sourced Produce- completely sustainable down to the recycled materials napkins and furniture. Anatole Souvlaki, Lonsdale Avenue: Amazing quality Greek food in a fantastic atmosphere. You get what you pay for though at about $17 dollars for the platter (chicken, tzatziki, salad, pita bread, rice, potatoes.) You can get lesser quality but perhaps bigger quantity if you try Stephos on Davie Street, also very popular for around $10. India Bistro, Davie Street: Excellent, cheap Indian food, and cool cocktails on offer. Raglans, Lonsdale Avenue: cheap bar snacks, but you can't beat the massive Monsoon Bowl cocktails. Vina Vietnamese, Marine Drive, Dunderave, W.Van: Excellent Vietnamese food in a classy atmosphere, but surprisingly cheap. For grocery shopping try Capers, a big Pro-Organic supermarket chain with locations on Robson Street downtown and in Kitsilano, etc... In winter you can go ice-skating up on Grouse Mountain- they freeze over the area that is a park in the summer. You can rent Ice Skates up there. For a good hike, you can actually hike up Grouse Mountain. It is famous in Vancouver and called the "Grouse Grind." There are hundreds of hiking opportunities on the North Shore. Capilano Suspension Bridge is pricey but the tourists seem to love it. The locals go to Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge instead because it is scarrier and it is free. The downtown waterfront area at night is a little dodgy, avoid wandering off the beaten path in Gastown especially. The East End of West Hastings Street is where all the heroin addicts and prostitutes hang out. In the Summer there is a waterslide in English Bay. Also in the last week of July and first week of August is the Festival of Light, the worlds largest international fireworks competition, and the whole of Vancouver heads to the waterfront, especially English Bay, to watch. (Usually Wednesday and Saturday nights.) It is a great thing for a traveller to see as it really unites the city. The biggest display of Vancouver culture by far, is the Canucks. Our Hockey team. You have to go to a game, but if like most Vancouverites it is above your budget, at least go to a bar to watch the games, or if you know someone, go to a party to watch it. And if you are lucky, keep checking www.ticketmaster.ca for when they "sell" free tickets to the practices. Even if you don't get one, head down to GM place that day anyways they usually hand them out at the door. If I think of anything else I will add it. Good luck!

This is the most amazing scenery you can find anywhere I've ever been. It is a stunningly beautiful valley on the central coast of BC. The climate is mild but can be gorgeous in the summer. The people here are amazingly kind. If you're interested in rivers, mountains, hiking, fishing, Native art or culture, bears, eagles, rainforests, horseback riding or anything outdoors then consider this GORGEOUS location. You can ferry in from Port Hardy, fly from Vancouver or drive if you dare! Anyway you go, you will not regret it. Consider staying at the Coast Mountain Guest House. It is a beautiful well-priced cabin with a fantastic view and amazing hosts near by.

Victoria is an exciting and cultured place that makes you feel like you are in the middle of an European city while you are in North America.
I stayed at the Harbour View Hotel Suites, which was a nice and pleasant place near the Parliament building. We got a good deal for a large suite there, which has a large lounge and a kitchen. A great place for a family vacation and didn't cost too much.
In terms of sightseeing, i would suggest Buchart Gardens. The museum was kinda a disappointment, but the miniature world is great.

Tourists are always wanting to see something unusual, but we don't want to look like tourists. Go to the University of Vancouver and find out the latest cultural event that is offered to the students. It might be an intriguing lecture, concerts, or a cultural exchange. Vancouver is gearing up for the 2010 Winter Olympics, and the University is quite open to visitors.

Best Greek Restaurant: Antatole Souvlaki, bottom of Lonsdale Avenue. Chicken Souvlaki with rice, roast potatoes, greek salad, tzatziki, and pita bread: $17 (pricey for Greek, but the quality and atmosphere make it well worth it.) Try the Strawberry Daquiri or the Sour Apple Martini! Raglans, nearby is a genuine Tiki Bar with Monsoon Bowl cocktails and bar snacks. Just up the street a couple blocks and accross the street on the corner is another bar with a massive cocktail menu. Drinks are pricey for Vancouver but reasonable for the creativity involved. Lonsdale Quay is fun to wander around and shop, and outside there is live music in the summer. It is also a main transit hub of North Van, as all the busses that go everywhere stop there and you can catch the seabus, either for practical purposes or for the view. On the otherside at Waterfront Station, don't have the paninis at Jugo Juice, I got food poisoning. Lynn Canyon suspension bridge is FREE compared to the expensive and touristy Caplino Suspension Bridge.

Canada's #1 Country music festival Merritt Mountain Music Festival! it's country but even if you don't like country it is an awsome place to party like a rockstar...ppl of ALL ages July 10th - 13th

When in or around Vancouver, BC, Canada, check out Granville Island. It's buried in the heart of Vancouver. It used to be an industrial park but has been converted into retail shops, great eateries, and space for live music. Great views of the city are also available from the island.


Granville Island is a small island and shopping district in Vancouver , British Columbia , Canada . It is located in False Creek directly across from Downtown Vancouver 's peninsula, under the south end of the Granville Street Bridge . The island is now more or less connected with the mainland so it is not technically an island.

Country Music Capital of the world!! A small growing town with a great climate. Only 2 and a half hours from Vancouver! Lots of lakes near-by with excellent fishing.

In the evening they have good street music performers

Good fishing and water sports.

The most beautiful ski resort (winter) or mountain biking (summer) this is just about a ski in ski our town lovely little quaint streets and nightclubs underground to lessen the noise. The hotel rooms come with fireplaces and the town is just lovely. Some adventure here like zip lining on cables throgh the trees up high in the trees or treking up on path and bridges through the high trees . Whistler will also hold some of the winter olympic games there was a luge track been built when we went through Nov 07. Only place I saw a bear in Canada , be careful as they come into town to eat out of the garbage cans

when visiting vancouver make a trip up to whistler if you can. in the summer its filled with rides and biking and trails and in the winter you can go skiing and snowboarding there. you also get to take a beautiful scenic route up the mountains to get there

Osoyoos is part of the northern tip of the Sonaran desert that stretches north from California. Expect to sample desert wines, hit the beaches around Osoyoos lake and watch out for cactus and rattlesnakes if you hike in the hills

Enjoyed the fact its meters away from USA! Really really hot in July- almost like Gold Coast without the beaches.

10 am every Thursday July 1 to August 22. Meet at the Lighthouse to join a naturalist guide. By donation.

I lived here for a month and there is not much to do for nightlife except for grab some " Lucky's" beer and set up a bonfire on the beach. However, Whale watching was awsome! Try surfing...its crazy and Check out the Clayoquot Sound Hot Springs. If you like Sushi, Tough City Sushi is the freshest you'll ever have in your life! Delicious . And i recomend ordering and Eggs Benny from Schooners restaurant..the best one i have ever had. If you have a lot of cash then spend the night at the Wickaninnish Inn...gorgeous view and just an awsome Hotel

The new Canada Line Skytrain is now running, so you can take that to get into downtown Vancouver from the airport in less than half an hour.

keep your eyes peeled for sightings of the ogopogo

The biggest town in the middle of nowhere...kind of like Kempsey or Grafton...Kamloops just looks better.

Victoria Express is the fastest ferry to get here; no cars allowed so you can make the trip in less than half the time it takes one of the larger ferries. It also docks in Victoria's Inner Harbour, just a few blocks from the restaurants and shops of downtown. I recommend the Brazilian restaurant just across the street from the Customs building you go through at the Inner Harbour (all martinis are standard 3 oz. and the deep-fried cheesecake is to die for); also, farther downtown on Government Street, there is a fantastic Irish pub where you can wash down a lamb burger with a pint of Guinness from the tap. You won't need a car to get around Victoria; I've backpacked and walked each of the 4 times I've visited. Taxis and rental scooters and bikes are abundant. If you plan on staying overnight, though, I recommend making reservations ahead of time, as the hotels here fill up rather quickly. Within walking distance of the harbor there are several museums, lots of shopping including a mall with a liquor store, and so much history evident in the gorgeous architecture. Taxis are available if you wish to venture out a bit farther to visit the famed Butchart Gardens (which, during the summer, have a fireworks show every Saturday) and Craigdarroch Castle.

Victoria, BC, Canada is a beautiful stop on Vancouver Island. It's easy to get to from Port Angeles, WA via the COHO Ferry. One of the many luxurious hotels in the area is the Fairmont Hotel. Although fairly old, it offers a quaint and antique-ish experience while offering a great view of the dock (if your room is in the front of the hotel). Be sure to check it out at night! The town is decorated with hundreds of thousands of light bulbs.

Victoria ( IPA : /vɪkˈtɔəriə/ ) is the capital city of British Columbia , making it the seat of the provincial Crown . Located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island , Victoria is a global tourism destination seeing more than 3.65 million visitors a year who inject more than one billion dollars into the local economy. [3] Victoria is a cruise ship port where cruise liners stop at Ogden Point terminal. The city also receives economic benefits from its close proximity to Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt , the Canadian military’s main Pacific naval base. Downtown Victoria also serves as Greater Victoria's regional downtown, where many night clubs, theatres, restaurants and pubs are clustered, and where much larger regional public events occur. In particular, Canada Day fireworks displays and Symphony Splash concerts draw tens of thousands of Greater Victorians and visitors to the downtown core. The city has hosted sports events including the 2005 Ford World Men's Curling Championship tournament, the 1994 Commonwealth Games , and 2006 Skate Canada . Victoria co-hosted the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup at Royal Athletic Park , and is the annual venue for the Bastion Square Grand Prix Criterium road cycling race. The city is also a destination for conventions, meetings, and conferences, including a 2007 North Atlantic Treaty Organization military chief of staff meeting.